CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE - INSURRECTION
Bri had found it. It had taken him almost half an hour of foraging through the local undergrowth but he had finally located an entrance to the base. He could see why Howie and the others had run into problems. The entrance door was hidden, not only by shrubs and bushes, but a forcefield generator that had concealed it thoroughly from view. Luckily for Bri though, the forcefield was not functioning. He had located the generator and that was what had led him to search about the nearby bushes for the entrance. Like the ground lasers, it did not appear to be working. There didn’t seem to be any power at all!
He stared at the black entrance door before him as he loaded his laser up ready to attack any sentries or any ambush that might be waiting for him. It had all been too easy so far. He could only hope that his suspicions would not be justified. Hopefully, Sammy, Kevin and B would be the cause of the lack of power to the outside weapons.
The door panel was still working. Doors and lights were usually powered by their own power sources in case of power failures. It wouldn’t do to be locked in the dark anywhere. Bri tentatively examined the panel and tried pressing a few buttons, but it bleeped angrily and the picture of a red cross flashed up. He needed a password to enter.
He sighed in frustration and hen yanked a small, round device from his pocket that was supposed to scan and crack door codes. Impatiently he flipped the lid from the sphere and waited. He wanted to get inside. He wanted to see what was happening.
Slowly coloured squares flashed on the door panel as the round device scanned and communicated with it. Bri’s body was beginning to grow heavy with nervous anticipation as he waited. He had to know what was happening… he feared that his heart might stop all together if it didn’t know the answers to the questions soon.
The door panel bleeped and a green symbol appeared upon it before the door opened. Bri quickly held his laser up in case anybody was waiting for him, but all that lay before him was a dark, sloping tunnel that led downwards. He frowned and bit his lip, disliking the ominous look of the tunnel but he didn’t have a choice. He quickly scanned it and breathed deeply in relief as he saw that there was no danger from Gerai.
‘Where are all the sentries?’ he wondered. Something had clearly gone wrong. There were no guards, no defence weapons. He smiled to himself, hoping that Brian would be speedy in brining Howie and his team back here. The place would be easy to take. It had to be Sammy and the others who had done this. Inwardly he felt a great wave of pride as he thought of them doing this. He knew they could outwit the Gerai. For the first time since B’s capture he began to feel more hopeful. He was nearing the end and hopefully he would see that all his worry had been for nothing. Sammy would have taken care of B after all. And Kevin would have watched over both of them.
He began to head down the tunnel, grimacing at the acrid smell of dust that hung thickly in the air like a noxious smell. The floor beneath his fete felt filthy with dirt, grime and grit that had been stamped in by boots. Somehow he had expected more from the Gerai than this dilapidated base, especially with the well hidden lasers and forcefield generators hidden outside.
Eventually the tunnel even out so that Bri was walking along straight ground, but it was still dark. The scanner still showed no sentries or guards or anybody. Uneasily he pulled a flashlight from his backpack and strapped it to his arm so that he could see the narrow tunnel about him more easily. The walls were black and grimy and the floor was brown with mud, dirt and the occasional dead or rotting leaf that had fallen from somebody’s clothes. He crept onward until he came to a battered elevator, but the panel beside it was completely dead.
“There’s no power,” he muttered to himself. The base seemed to be suffering from a dead blackout.
He stared at the elevator that barred his way and frowned. He had come too far to just stand here and wait to see what would happen. If he could prise the doors open then he could get inside. In all elevators in military bases there is a trapdoor on the ceiling that allows a person trapped inside to escape into the elevator shaft. He might be able to climb down to the next floor…
He pressed his hands into the crack between the two doors and began to push.
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Sammy, Paul and the other, now free, prisoners walked warily down the long corridor. According to the scanner in Paul’s hand there were no Gerai along here but they didn’t want to take any foolish chances. They were close to getting out now.
Sammy’s eyes flashed about the place nervously and he constantly shone the beam of his flashlight to take in the whole corridor. He was looking for B. Even though nothing showed up on the scanner, he was still looking for him. He had to find him and explain. He had to make B understand that Sammy hadn’t, and never would, abandon him.
“Sammy?” Paul muttered to him. “The scans you looked at before we left the engineering room, where were most of the Gerai?”
“Most were locked up on the floor above this one, so that’s where we’ll have to do some fighting. But we outnumber them three to one. There weren’t many Gear stationed here in the first place. All the others I managed to lock in whatever room they were in at the time.” He had done his best to mesmerise the last scanner readouts he had glanced at before they left to try and escape.
Paul nodded. “Okay, how do we get off of this floor?”
“That’s the tricky part. I cut power all over the base and, although the doors are on a different system, the elevators won’t be working either. We’re going to have to climb up through the elevator shafts.” It wouldn’t be easy, but hopefully the shafts would have elevators. Even the Gerai bases had to conform to safety standards. They didn’t want their own men dying or becoming trapped in an elevator. “We’ll have to be real careful though. Some of the Gerai might have thought of that idea as well and be on their way here.”
Paul snorted. “If they’re stupid enough. They know we outnumber them. It was their greatest flaw to try and get us to do their work because when we rebelled, it meant they were in trouble. There’s nothing they can do to stop us now. They can try and fight but they won’t last long.” A small smile had slid across Paul’s face and the deep frown lines upon his forehead appeared to have finally softened. “We’ve almost won at last,” he whispered.
“Don’t count on it yet,” another voice said from beside them that belonged to a grim faced man with dark hair. “We still have to get out and find help.”
“It’ll be fine, Don,” Paul assured him. “Darren’s base is a little far but there’s one less than two days from here which is where I came from.”
Sammy felt his stomach fall as if he had dropped over a large hill as he thought about Darren. At that base, he would find out what had become of Brian. He would know if he had recovered or if there had been no change.
‘Just let me rescue B,’ he prayed. ‘I just want B to sit by Brian’s side whiles he’s still alive.’ Somehow he felt that it would make everything better. Brian needed B to get well again.
“There’s also a group stationed in the valley just below this base,” Sammy added. “We should be able to get help there.”
The third man, Don, rolled his eyes. “Fat lot of fucking use they’ve been. Why didn’t they come sooner?”
The words stung Sammy. It only reminded him about ho long he had left it to help his brother. His mouth had turned dry and when he spoke his voice was slightly croaky. “It’s takes time to organise an attack and we don’t know what’s been going on out there. They could be coming to help us right now.”
“Yeah?” Don challenged grumpily. “Well we’ve damn well got ourselves out of this mess now without their help!” Moodily he swung his laser back down in front of him and moved to join in another hushed conversation between some of the men.
Paul shook his head. “A lot of them have been here for weeks, Sammy. They’re bound to be bitter. They’ve seen friends killed and tortured. It’s not been nice.”
Sammy hung his head slightly. “I know Darren and the others would never just abandon us. They would try to get us out and I believe that they’re still trying.” Or he hoped that they were still trying. They would be at least trying to get B way from the Gerai, but Sammy knew that himself and the others would only be a second priority to his little brother.
Paul nodded. “I believe you, and most of us know that it would take time. It’s not easy, war isn’t easy at all.” His face had turned grim and Sammy shared those bitter feelings. His family had suffered pain more than most people’s. Because of this war he’d been missing a father for almost eighteen years and B had missed out on having any parents past the age of five. On top of that, the Gerai just seemed to keep on coming. They never seemed to cease trying to get their filthy claws into B. Even if they beta them this time then there would still be rogues haunting the hillsides all over the country. In a few years they might be re-born again…
Sammy shook his head. He couldn’t dwell on the future now. After this was over, he could worry about it.
“Here’s the elevator,” Paul said, gesturing towards the sealed doors at the end of the corridor. “All right men!” he called to the prisoners, after all they were all male seeing as the Gerai always raped or killed any females they captured. Men were much stronger workers. “We need to open that door and get into the elevator shaft. We’re gonna have to do some climbing to get outta here!”
There were groans from some of the men and Sammy couldn’t blame them. Some of them looked tired and weak after spending weeks or even months locked in this place as slaves. He himself felt exhausted but knew that weariness would never stop him from trying to escape. He’d had enough of this place.
Several men immediately rushed forward and grunted as they pulled at the doors that blocked their way. Sammy hesitated for a moment and then took Paul’s arm. 2Paul,” he said, his voice hushed. “When we get to the next floor, you guys need to keep going up to the floor above that to get out. I’m going to take a look around the floor above us and try to find B.”
Paul closed his eyes and sighed. “Sammy, he could kill you. He’s been fucked in the head.”
“We’ve been through this,” Sammy replied firmly. “I have to find him.”
There was a creak as the doors were dragged open. Paul looked about him at the others and then turned back to Sammy. “All right, good luck,” he said. “I’ll get these men out and then I’ll come back to help you. It’s just a pity we don’t have a way to contact each other… I’ll do my best to find you though.”
Sammy smiled. “Thank - ” he began, but was cut off as there was a cry from one of the men.
Sammy spun around. Two Gerai in white suits had stepped out of the elevator shaft wearing gas masks. On their backs they carried huge packs that led to a pipe and nozzle that they had pointed at them all.
“Shit,” Paul breathed.
Sammy’s heart had already began to lurch and bounce about him as he recognised the gas packs. He felt his eyes widen and his feet grow heavy with fear, but he desperately tried to push that aside as he fumbled madly for his weapon. “Kill them!” he cried frantically. Hat gas could slaughter all of them by making them choke on their own body fluids.
Even though Sammy could not see the facial expressions of the Gerai, he knew that they were smiling at them all as they pressed the button that activated the gas. Immediately a hissing sound filled the air but the gas was colourless and could not be seen as it crept stealthily and invisibly away from the nozzles. The nearest men began to choke in a wet, spluttering and death like way. One of them fell to his knees, but the others struggled and fought to try and aim their weapons.
Sammy was about to fire when the realisation hit him. He gasped and stared at the others arming their weapons. “They could ignite the gas!” he cried, but it was too late. Several bursts of fire had already erupted from various lasers.
“Get down!” Paul screamed.
Sammy flung himself to the ground as he heard the whooshing noise sweeping the air about them and a sudden heat blast that tore at the skin on his arms. He pressed his face down against the floor and tried to close his ears to the screams that suddenly hit him as men screamed in the blaze. With the power out, there wouldn’t even be any fire safety systems active.
The corridor shook as two explosions shook the ground and Sammy pressed himself further to the floor as if he could somehow take shelter and sanctitude there. It felt as if the world was ending about him. He felt flames rushing over his head and expanding in clouds of bursting heat that seared and blistered his upturned hands.
Groggily he raised his head. The air was filled with waves of fire that hissed and spat out sparks and belches of filthy smoke. Most of the prisoners had managed to hit the ground, but some were struggling about the fiery air, screaming in piercing yelps of agony as they floundered about, their bodies alight.
“Get down and roll!” someone shouted from nearby.
But most of the men that were alight didn’t seem to be able to comprehend instructions. One of them managed to drop, but it was obvious that even if the flames were put out that his skin would be almost completely burnt away.
Coughing in the smoke, Sammy peered at the elevator and saw that the two Gerai had disappeared and suddenly he knew what the explosions had been. The flames had ignited the gas and it had exploded the packs on their backs. He stared about him but instantly regretted it as he saw the remains of the two men spattered about the corridor. Blood had hit some of the walls and faces of the men around him. He closed his eyes and laid as flat as possible.
Someone was coughing and grabbing Sammy’s shoulders to haul him to his feet. “Get to the elevator shaft, guys!” he called madly. “We have to get off of this floor now or we’ll die!”
Sammy staggered to his feet and began to pull at the others that lined the floors. Some were trying to beat at the flames around them and on their comrades. Most of them had been smart enough to hit the floor when the lasers were fired, but there were still several burnt and flaming bodies surrounding them. Sammy tried to avoid looking at the bodies of the men who had been closest to the two Gerai. He was lucky to have been nearer the back at the time. Usually he was at the front of the group and would have been killed instantly as the fire followed the gas that had already seeped into his lungs to torch his entire body in seconds.
He grabbed at a man beside him and began dragging him to his feet. Paul and the others were doing the same and pushing people towards the elevator shaft. The fire was getting worse. The corridor walls were burning and the air was filled with smoke. Sammy seized another person and hissed in pain as his shoulder bumped against a wall that had become heated through the flames. The man he had pulled up suddenly pointed at a black tank on the wall. “Extinguisher!” he gasped in the heat.
Sammy turned his head and saw that he was right. A small fire extinguisher had been mounted upon the wall. He quickly grabbed hold of it and directed the nozzle at the torrential flames that surrounded the elevator shaft. The corridor began to fill with white foam that settled upon the flames to smother them.
“Look on the opposite wall!” Sammy cried to the man. “See if there’s another one!”
The man nodded and rushed off. The air was still black and choking, but the flames were notably diminished. Sammy coughed in the heavy air, gasping as the hot smoke burnt at his throat and the filled his lungs with dirt and poison.
Most of them men were rushing quickly into the elevator shaft and jumping up inside of it. The extinguisher began to splutter and spit out weaker and weaker jets of foam and Sammy squeezed the handle one last time before dropping it to the ground. The man he had spoken to was standing by the other wall. He met Sammy’s eye and shrugged in hopelessness. Several fierce flames were still cackling in delight at their survival.
Sammy gestured to the elevator and began to dash their himself. The elevator was not on this floor and so the doors led straight to the shaft. There was a tiny ledge round the side that you could carefully step onto to reach the ladder that ran along the back wall. Sammy sighed with relief, glad that there was a ladder here. He had been partly afraid that the Gerai would not have bothered with safety ladders in elevator shafts. Already on the ladder he could most of the prisoners clambering up.
He waited until a few other men had entered the shaft and directed them to climb up the ladder, then he jumped on to himself, trying not to think about the bodies that still filled that corridor. They’d lost at least ten and they had been so close to escaping. At least they’d die trying, and Sammy would as well if the Gerai had anymore attacks lined up for them. The most dangerous floor would be the one above them that they were heading for.
His hands stung as they clasped the cold, metal ladder. A few blisters had poked ugly heads on the back of his hands and the skin on his arms was red and sore. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain as he had been teaching himself to do over the past few days. There wasn’t time to complain now.
He was about half way up the ladder when he heard the shout from above. “There’s Gerai with lasers up here!” it was Paul’s voice. “They’ve got the elevator doors open and are shooting as we go past! Just stay down there. We’re gonna try and take care of it!”
Sammy wanted to call back and say that he’d help, but it would be impossible for him to get up there when he was near enough the last person on the ladder. He waited and found that he could faintly hear the zinging of lasers fire being exchanged between Gerai and prisoners.
There was a sudden scream and then Sammy heard something else banging. As he began to guess at what it was he glanced up and cried out as he saw the body of a fallen prisoner hurtling towards him. He ducked and clung to the ladder madly, but the body narrowly missed him and hit the side of the elevator shaft before crunching down to hit the floor below.
He was trembling and breathing deeply. His clammy hands seemed to have welded themselves to the ladder rungs. He stared up at the face of the man who was glancing down at him. They couldn’t have done anything.
Suddenly there was another crunching noise and a second body fell past them. Sammy tried not to look. The man above him sounded like he was wailing in fear. All around them death seemed to be watching and waiting. They had waited so long to escape and now they were slowly dying in more and more brutal ways.
Suddenly they were moving up again. Sammy raised his head and saw that the men were climbing, butt he sound of lasers still echoed loudly about the shaft, growing more and more frantic. The terrified man just above Sammy though, refused to move. He was clutching the ladder tightly and seemed almost frozen.
“Move,” Sammy hissed to him. “Quickly. It must be okay now or they wouldn’t be making us move.”
As the words came from his dry, cracked lips another body fell. As he heard the wet sound of the man hitting the ground, Sammy felt a crunch inside of his stomach as it contorted.
“Please move,” he whispered. “We’re going to get out somehow. Move.”
The man above the frightened one was also trying to urge him up. Slowly the man began to move again. Sammy slowly followed him and the sound of lasers grew ever nearer. He tried to see what was happening at the top, but they were still too far away and there was too many heads and climbing bodies in the way.
He ascended more and then he could suddenly see. Paul and several others had created a barrier beside the elevator doors and were constantly firing at the enemy Gerai so that the men could get past without being shot.
The man above Sammy had begun to tremble again and had ground to a halt. “Keep going!” Sammy hissed as the men above quickly clambered past the doors. “Hurry!” Paul couldn’t hold them off forever.
The man climbed up another few rungs so that he was at the doors and then he stopped again and began to cry with fear.
“Move!” Sammy screamed desperately. He could be shot off the ladder if a shot made it past Paul and the others.
And one did.
The laser blasts seemed to slowly winding its way through the flesh of the man’s abdomen. The man screamed in terror and then allowed himself to drop, hitting Sammy on the way down. Sammy felt the man’s hands struggling to grab hold of him in the confused frenzy of death. He didn’t want to be alone and yet Sammy could do nothing. The man would die even if he was saved. Blood poured from the abdomen and his insides were dribbling. Sammy lowered his head and gave a cry of fear as the hands frantically pulled at him, almost wrenching him from the ladder.
“Let him go!” the man below Sammy called. He suddenly reached up and grabbed hold of the dying man’s leg and yanked him away from Sammy.
Looking down, Sammy saw the fearful terror of death fill the man’s face before he dropped away slowly down the elevator shaft to embrace the death he’d feared so much.
Tears streamed down Sammy’s face as he turned to the man below him. He’d done what had to be done. “T-th…” he couldn’t form the words.
The man shook his head. “Don’t thank me,” he whispered. “I did what I had to, but I’m not proud. Get moving.”
Sammy nodded and began to climb upwards, but instead of carrying on up the ladder he jumped onto the ledge beside Paul. “How many?” he asked.
“Only one left now,” Paul grunted.
Sammy nodded. “Okay. This is where I leave you now.”
Paul sighed as he ceased firing for a moment. The final Gerai was hiding behind a bulkhead. “You sure I can’t talk you out of this?”
Sammy nodded and smiled. “Sorry. Good luck.”
Paul smiled at him and clamped a hand upon his shoulder. “Thanks for everything. Without you and Kevin, we could never have done this.”
“It’s not over yet. You get these men out of here,” Sammy ordered.
Paul grinned. “You damn bet I will! I’ll be back for you and your brother as well!”
Sammy pulled his laser from his back and checked the charge. “Get going then,” he said as he leapt from the elevator to the floor of the corridor. He dashed up to the bulkhead where the Gerai was hiding, firing madly. The man stuck his head from behind the wall and his eyes went round with fear, before Sammy was upon him and hitting him about the head with the laser. The man slumped to the ground unconscious and Sammy turned back to give Paul a thumbs up.
Paul smiled one last time and then was leaping up inside the elevator shaft.
Sammy took a deep breath before leaning down and removing the laser weapon from the fallen Gerai. He slung the second weapon over his back and then checked him until he found what he was after, a scanner. He pocketed it and then stood up and straightened his clothes. Now it was time to find B and knock some sense into him.